Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

As the Foreign Secretary has made clear, the war in Gaza must end. We are concerned by incidents and strikes on holy sites across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including most recently the Holy Family Church in Gaza being struck on 17 July and reports of attacks by violent settlers on Christian communities in the West Bank. Last week His Majesty's Consul General to Jerusalem visited Taybeh in the West Bank with church leaders and international partners to express solidarity with the local community following attacks by settlers on their community. My officials continue to meet with Church leaders in Jerusalem and carefully monitor reports impacting religious sites and freedom of religion or belief in Gaza and the West Bank. The UK is strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief for all.

The UK has not cooperated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. We have been clear that we will not cooperate with any aid delivery mechanism that does not fully respect humanitarian principles. In a joint statement on 19 May with 26 partners, we highlighted our concerns that Israel's new mechanisms for aid delivery in Gaza place beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermine the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and link humanitarian aid to political and military objectives. We continue to call on Israel to enable the UN and humanitarian non-governmental organisations to do their work safely and effectively, in line with the humanitarian principles.

The UK has not cooperated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and we will not cooperate with any aid delivery mechanism that does not fully respect humanitarian principles.

Since its inception, we have highlighted repeatedly our concerns that Israel's new mechanisms for aid delivery in Gaza places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives. We continue to call on Israel to enable the UN and humanitarian non-governmental organisations to do their work safely and effectively, in line with the humanitarian principles.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. Not enough aid is getting in and vital services such as water supplies, ambulances and hospitals are at risk of shutting down due to fuel shortages. On 12 July, the UN stated that fuel shortages in Gaza had reached a critical level. The small amounts that have been allowed to enter in recent days are nowhere near enough. We continue to call on Israel to allow for a full and unhindered resurgence in the flow of aid into Gaza and to allow the UN and humanitarian partners to operate in line with humanitarian principles. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 21 July, where he reiterated our concerns about the situation on the ground and pressed for a return to a ceasefire.

The UK is saddened by reports of artisanal miners trapped underground in the Lomera gold mining site. We extend our condolences to those affected and continue to monitor the situation. The UK is working to address the underlying causes of flooding and climate vulnerability in the DRC, through programmes that aim to protect standing forests and develop nature-based solutions. The UK supports the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which promotes transparency and good governance in the mining sector. We are also a member of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, which guide extractive companies in maintaining safety.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. On 13 June, the FCDO updated its travel advice for Iran to note that Israeli strikes had occurred and that an Iranian military response was underway. FCDO updated advice further as military action continued, including to provide factual updates on the reported targets of strikes, the status of Iran's airspace, the status of Iran's land borders and the temporary withdrawal of UK staff from Iran. Subsequent updates reflected the announcement of a ceasefire and the return to Iran of UK staff. As we have long advised, UK Government support is extremely limited in Iran. In an emergency, the UK Government will not be able to evacuate you, provide face-to-face assistance or help you if you get into difficulty. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is the FCDO's overriding concern when determining travel advice. We continue to advise against all travel to Iran, where British and British Iranian dual nationals are at very high risk of arrest, questioning and detention.

The Government has been clear that civilians in Gaza must be protected, and that Palestinians should not be forced to relocate from Gaza to third countries. Jordan hosts over 3.5 million refugees from regional conflicts, including 2.3 million Palestinian refugees registered with United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Jordan. UNRWA estimate that there are 438,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria. The Government of Türkiye reported 23,569 Palestinian refugees in Türkiye in December 2024. The UK contributed £41 million to UNRWA Financial Year 2024/25, supporting delivery of UNRWA's vital work ensuring Palestinians have access to humanitarian assistance across the region. We continue to call on all parties in Gaza to protect civilians and urge the Government of Israel to enable life-saving aid to enter Gaza at scale, and to enable the seriously ill and wounded to leave Gaza for medical care.

Pakistan remains a valued bilateral partner. We closely follow political developments in Pakistan and continue to advocate for democratic principles and the rule of law. On security, we are concerned by the impact of militant violence in Pakistan and recent regional tensions. We welcome the 10th May cessation of hostilities following the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. The Foreign Secretary discussed these issues with Pakistan's Prime Minister and Interior Minister on his recent visit to Islamabad in May, and more recently with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister. We advise British nationals to consult our travel advice regularly.

The UK Government consistently urge Pakistani authorities to act in line with their international obligations and respect fundamental freedoms and human rights. The Foreign Secretary raised these issues in meetings with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister when he visited Pakistan in May. While judicial matters are for Pakistan's courts, we have consistently emphasised the need for due process, fair trials, and humane treatment for all, including Mr Imran Khan.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We remain deeply concerned at the lack of fuel supply in Gaza, which puts vital services such as water desalination at risk. On 18 July, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) described the deepening fuel crisis in Gaza, including the impact on solid waste collection and availability of clean water supplies and health services. We highlighted the impact of the lack of fuel on water supplies and hospitals and the critical situation for Gaza's children at a session of the UN Security Council which we co-called on 16 July, and at the International Development Committee on 16 July.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We highlighted the critical situation for Gaza's children at a session of the UN Security Council which we co-called on 16 July, and at the International Development Committee on 16 July. We have provided £5.6 million to the Global Partnership for Education to support the educational and psychosocial needs of children and young people in Gaza and the West Bank. Our support to Education Cannot Wait is also supporting children's education and mental health via the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners.

The UK stands firmly against Israel's inhumane approach to aid delivery in Gaza. We are appalled at repeated mass casualty incidents in the vicinity of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites, with hundreds of desperate civilians killed whilst trying to get food for their families. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 21 July to raise these issues, press Israel to restore humanitarian access and agree to a ceasefire. We continue to work with partners, including the United States, to push for improved humanitarian access, a ceasefire and a lasting peace in the region.

The UK is deeply concerned at reports of bombing of schools in Gaza, and the impact on Gaza's children. We have called on Israel to do its utmost to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure including schools. We highlighted the critical situation for Gaza's children at a session of the UN Security Council which we co-called on 16 July, and at the International Development Committee on 16 July. We have provided £5.6 million to the Global Partnership for Education to support the educational and psychosocial needs of children and young people in Gaza and the West Bank. Our support to Education Cannot Wait is also supporting children's education and mental health via the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners.

The UK is deeply concerned at reports of bombing of schools in Gaza, and the impact on Gaza's children. We have called on Israel to do its utmost to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure including schools. We highlighted the critical situation for Gaza's children at a session of the UN Security Council which we co-called on 16 July, and at the International Development Committee on 16 July. We have provided £5.6 million to the Global Partnership for Education to support the educational and psychosocial needs of children and young people in Gaza and the West Bank. Our support to Education Cannot Wait is also supporting children's education and mental health via the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners.

On 4 June, the UK voted in favour of a UN Security Council Resolution calling for urgent improvements to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We co-called a meeting of the UN Security Council on 16 July where we reiterated calls for a ceasefire and for Israel to lift its restrictions on aid, raising serious concerns about the imminent collapse of basic services in Gaza. On 21 July, together with 30 international partners, we released a statement condemning the appalling humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the killing of civilians, and called for the war to end immediately. On 25 July we released a statement, together with France and Germany, calling on Israel to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza. The political and security conditions in Gaza are not currently suitable for the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation.

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 16 July 2025, Official Report, PQ 66037.

I remain deeply disturbed by the ongoing detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and other medical staff from Gaza. We continue to call on Israel to clarify the reasons for the detention of Dr Abu Safiya and other medical personnel, and to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities.

I have specifically raised Dr Hussam Abu Safiya's case with both the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and Israel's ambassador to the UK. We are urging Israel to clarify the reasons for his detention, to allow medical workers to carry out their work safely and without hindrance, and to provide detainees with access to legal representation.

I remain deeply disturbed by the ongoing detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and other medical staff from Gaza. We continue to call on Israel to clarify the reasons for the detention of Dr Abu Safiya and other medical personnel, and to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities.

I have specifically raised Dr Hussam Abu Safiya's case with both the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and Israel's ambassador to the UK. We are urging Israel to clarify the reasons for his detention, to allow medical workers to carry out their work safely and without hindrance, and to provide detainees with access to legal representation.

Alongside our international partners the UK has consistently advocated and offered support to the Syrian Government to deliver an inclusive political transition. We have underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, including vulnerable religious groups in the north-east, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government, including during the Foreign Secretary's recent visit. We remain deeply concerned about tensions between communities in Syria and the impact this may have for Syria's stability. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's written parliamentary questions. I issued responses to the hon. Member on 4 and 6 of August 2025.

We are appalled by the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where famine is now unfolding, as confirmed by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) on 29 July. This is unacceptable. We urge Israel to lift restrictions on aid access, as we stated to the UN Security Council on 16 July. While the Israeli Defence Force's "tactical pauses" are a necessary step, they are long overdue. Alongside 30 partners, we reiterated this call in a UK-led joint statement on 21 July. The Foreign Secretary emphasized to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 July the urgent need for safe, large-scale aid delivery and condemned civilian deaths at aid sites.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assesses that Iran-based threat actors remain aggressive in cyberspace and continue to achieve their objectives through less sophisticated cyber techniques (including prolific use of spear-phishing), but also targeting industrial control systems.

The NCSC continues to work closely with government, industry and international partners to understand and mitigate the cyber threat from Iran. This includes the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In September 2024, the UK and the US jointly issued a Technical Advisory focusing on attackers working on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps use social engineering to gain access to victims' online accounts. This Advisory provided network defenders with information to help mitigate these threats.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ministers and officials raise the UK's concerns about the cyber threat regularly with their international counterparts, including the activities of particular states where appropriate. The UK works with international partners to ensure the perpetrators of malicious cyber activity are held to account, and will continue to expose and take action against such groups to make it clear that irresponsible behaviour in cyberspace will have serious consequences.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is horrific, we have consistently pressed the Government of Israel to allow access to essential healthcare. Getting patients out of Gaza remains challenging, particularly since the closure of the Rafah crossing in May 2024. There are provisions that allow a person to come to the UK for Private Medical Treatment under the Immigration Rules. On 1 May, the Minister for the Middle East announced that two children arrived in the UK to begin privately funded medical treatment through support to Project Pure Hope. However, the government is not currently considering implementing a bespoke visa route for Palestinians fleeing Gaza to come to the UK. The UK took the decision in December 2023 to extend consular support exceptionally to Palestinian nationals seeking to leave Gaza, in certain circumstances. Details of who the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office can try to help leave Gaza are published in our Occupied Palestinian Territories Travel Advice.

The UK Government is deeply concerned about the ongoing violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt and we express our sincere concern for all those impacted. The root causes of intercommunal violence are complex and often linked to land disputes, historical tensions, and criminal activity. While religion is not a causal factor in these conflicts, the impacts are felt acutely by religious communities, including hindering people's ability to practice their faith freely. The UK supports all affected communities, regardless of faith or ethnicity, and is working through programmes like Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria and the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership to promote peace, strengthen local institutions, and protect civilians. The UK remains committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), with Nigeria a priority country under the new FoRB strategy, and we will continue to raise this issue in our engagements with Nigeria.

We do not publicly speculate on future sanctions as doing so can limit their impact. The UK has a modern development partnership with Nigeria across the full spectrum of development needs. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not provide bilateral Official Development Assistance directly to the Government of Nigeria.

The UK condemns in the strongest terms attacks on aid workers in Sudan. The warring parties are required to uphold international humanitarian and human rights obligations and to implement relevant UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR), including UNSCR 2736 (2024) on El Fasher, Darfur. In our recent public statements, we have reiterated the importance of the warring parties acting in accordance with such commitments. In June, the UK signed a joint statement with 30 other donors condemning an attack on a UN aid convoy, calling for the warring parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.

On 24 April, the Foreign Secretary issued a statement following renewed attacks in El Fasher, calling for the warring parties to give humanitarian actors the security guarantees needed to deliver aid rapidly and safely, including through a 72-hour pause in fighting. The UK is also providing financial support to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to enable their human rights monitoring and reporting. In October 2024, we led the renewal of the UN Fact Finding Mission for Sudan's mandate as part of the Sudan 'Core Group' in the Human Rights Council to hold those harming humanitarian agencies to account.

We consistently raise human rights with the Eritrean government, including religious freedoms. We advocate for the end of discriminatory detentions based on religion or belief, as we have stated at the UN Human Rights Council. We call for all those unjustly incarcerated to be released. The UK's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea raised human rights during her most recent visit to Eritrea in April 2025 and the UK supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July 2025.

The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the treatment of Christians and other religious minorities in Somalia, where persecution is severe and often exacerbated by insecurity and extremist violence.

The UK has supported human rights mechanisms that address religious persecution. We continue to highlight Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) violations and abuses on the international stage, through our position at the UN, G7 and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB.

The UK is committed to defending FoRB globally and will continue to advocate for the rights of all individuals in Somalia to practise their religion or belief freely and without fear.

The Nairobi Railway City Project is a Government of Kenya funded project. The UK government has allocated £2 million to provide Kenya with technical assistance to help it structure, phase, manage and deliver the series of infrastructure projects that will make up the 438-acre Nairobi Railway City Project. The first of these projects involves the construction of a new Central Railway Station and public realm. For this first project on top of our technical assistance the Government of Kenya is considering raising financing to construct the station with the support of potentially £150 million in funding through UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK's Export Credit Agency. As this project is in its early stages, the financial years in which the costs will be incurred, and the type of expenditure are to be yet confirmed.

I refer the Rt Hon. member to her previous question, 53517, to which our response outlined the UK's commitment to tackling gender-based violence in Sudan, and Ministerial engagement on the issue. Furthermore, through the Sudan Free of Female Genital Mutiliation programme, UK funding supports work on protection, prevention and care services for survivors of sexual violence. The UK funded Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme, has provided sexual and reproductive services to women, girls, men as well as persons living with disabilities, with UK aid delivered in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other contexts. We have also enhanced our atrocity risk monitoring, including monitoring of conflict-related sexual violence and are working with UN and non-governmental organisation partners to provide safe spaces, clinical treatment, dignity kits and psycho-social services for survivors.

The Strategic Partnership will strengthen our joint response to regional terrorism, illicit finance, cyber attacks and organised crime, to keep Kenyans and British Nationals safe. This is underpinned by the UK-Kenya Security Compact which was also signed during the recent Presidential visit to the UK. The renewed Compact is designed to address both traditional and emerging security threats. Priorities include tackling risks from digital spaces and new technologies, reducing irregular migration, and countering illicit finance. The partnership will continue to build on its strong foundation, ensuring that previous achievements are sustained and that new challenges are met with a coordinated, forward-looking approach.

The new Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership 2025-2030 provides a comprehensive framework to progress our shared objectives, strengthening the bilateral relationship and delivering growth for the UK and Kenya. This new partnership will potentially deliver £1 billion through exports, engineering jobs and defence manufacturing jobs in Northampton and County Durham. We have also agreed with Kenya to explore a new Digital Trading Agreement, and to aim to double trade by 2030 in areas including financial services, digital and technology, and defence and security. The Partnership has also seen Lloyd's of London enter the Nairobi insurance market, which will be a gateway to the East Africa Market, valued up to £0.5 billion (Kshs.88billion).

Officials have met with the Tony Blair Institute to discuss Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 7 October 2023. We have no record of meetings with the Boston Consulting Group. We continue to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, for the release of the hostages and for Israel to allow for a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid, including allowing the entry of more types of aid such as medicine, fuel and shelter.

Officials have met with the Tony Blair Institute to discuss Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 7 October 2023. We have no record of meetings with the Boston Consulting Group. We continue to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, for the release of the hostages and for Israel to allow for a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid, including allowing the entry of more types of aid such as medicine, fuel and shelter.

The healthcare system in Gaza is now on the brink of collapse. As the Minister for International Development said in August, essential medicines are running our while all of Gaza's hospitals have been damaged, with most no longer functioning at all. Humanitarian workers must be protected, and medical and aid workers must be able to do their jobs safely.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials and I are in regular dialogue with our Israeli counterparts on the protection of healthcare facilities in Gaza. We will continue to make both public and private representations to the Government of Israel to protect healthcare staff and facilities.

Healthcare in Gaza is on the brink following Israel's expanded military operations.  It is appalling that nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed according to the World Health Organization (WHO). We recently announced a £7.5 million package to strengthen medical care for Gazan civilians in Gaza and the wider region, including additional funding for UK-Med and WHO Egypt. The UK is supporting the WHO to deliver vital care to some of the almost 8,000 Gazans who have been medically evacuated to Egypt.

Through our partnership with UK-Med, they have provided over 500,000 patient consultations in Gaza since January 2024. But we urgently need more supplies reaching healthcare facilities and better protections for aid workers.

The UK has also supported delivery of Polio vaccination protecting over 600,000 vulnerable children across Gaza.

The UK continues to demand that a full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza takes place immediately, including fuel essential for water supply, hospitals and ambulances. We continue to raise this issue as a matter of priority with our Israeli counterparts.

As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 21 July, Minister Katz's proposal is a cruel vision that must never come to pass. We condemn it unequivocally. Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.

Sanctions can be used to achieve a range of foreign and security policy objectives. We use sanctions when they complement other tools as part of a wider strategy. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.

We are aware of Palestinian students seeking to commence studies in the UK and are considering the request for support.

It is horrifying that 875 people have been killed at or near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites. We regularly engage with Israeli counterparts to urge them to improve the situation on the ground. Most recently, on 21 July, the Foreign Secretary spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar, to once again reiterate his grave concern over civilian casualties while collecting aid in Gaza.

On 11 July, I called for an independent investigation into the killing of women and children while collecting aid in central Gaza.

We have repeatedly called for an immediate investigation into theses mass casualty incidents, and we expect the perpetrators to be held to account.

The UK strongly condemned the terrorist attack at Mar Elias Church, and remains committed to combatting terrorism. There is not currently a Syrian Ambassador to the UK, but during the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to Damascus, he expressed his condolences to President Al-Sharaa. He also underlined the importance of an inclusive political transition and protecting the rights of all Syrians, and offered the Syrian Government our support in achieving this. We continue to press the Syrian Government on the need to improve their response to sectarian violence, protect human rights and hold those responsible to account.

We are deeply concerned by the recent violence in Suwayda and welcome the announcement of a ceasefire. In diplomatic engagement with the Syrian Government and other partners, and as I said in my statement on X on 17 July, we have been clear that we want to see civilians protected, the ceasefire upheld, and those responsible held to account. We will continue to engage and support the Syrian Government on the protection of human rights and an inclusive and representative political transition.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is the FCDO's overriding concern when determining travel advice. However, the FCDO does not have the jurisdiction to guarantee the safety of British Nationals overseas, which is the responsibility of local authorities.

The FCDO has long been clear that the support we are able to provide in Iran is extremely limited. In an emergency, we will be unable to provide face-to-face assistance for British nationals in difficulty, or to assist with evacuations. We continue to advise against all travel to Iran, where British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at very high risk of arrest, questioning and detention. During the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, the FCDO updated travel advice for Iran to note the temporary withdrawal of UK staff from Iran, the status of Iran's land borders and the closure of Iranian airspace, which re-opened in early July.

On 4 June, the UK voted in favour of a UN Security Council Resolution calling for urgent improvements to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We co-called a meeting of the UN Security Council on 16 July where we reiterated calls for a ceasefire and for Israel to lift its restrictions on aid, raising serious concerns about the imminent collapse of basic services in Gaza. On 21 July, together with 30 international partners, we released a statement condemning the appalling humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the killing of civilians, and called for the war to end immediately. On 25 July we released a statement, together with France and Germany, calling on Israel to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza.

The Government thanks the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) for its independent report on Iran. The Government will respond fully to the recommendations and conclusions in the report, in due course.

The Government thanks the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) for its independent report on Iran. The Government will respond fully to the recommendations and conclusions in the report, in due course.